Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to video processing and, more particularly, to processing and encoding that improve on design constraints such as reducing the bandwidth required for video compression, and to utilizing video processing techniques to manage communication links between multiple parties.
With the migration from analog to digital video (MPEG and follow on standards), there has been a continuous effort to reduce the bit rate required for a given picture quality level. As high definition (HD) video over the Internet has become more commonplace, the need for improved (e.g., lower bit rate) video encoding systems has risen. Although ATSC (broadcast video/off-air) has ample bandwidth available (approximately 19 Mbps), as do some storage media such as Blu-Ray disks, IP-network based video delivery systems such as the Internet or corporate local area networks (LANs) are much more bandwidth constrained. Video over wireless/mobile networks such as GSM, 3G, 4G, and WiMax are even more bandwidth constrained. Video over wide area networks (WANs) is also limited by the end-to-end system latency as is demonstrated during a live long distance news program interview.
Much work has been done to date to improve the performance of video compression systems. This includes improved compression tools, algorithms and coding standards such as MPEG4 AVC, as well as improved video preprocessing techniques. There are many types of video preprocessing techniques being used today. Some focus on improving visual quality such as improved de-interlacing, better scaling, blur reduction, deblocking, etc., while others focus on bit rate reduction such as filtering (at the potential expense of video quality). In general there are three types of video filtering in use today—spatial filtering, spectral filtering and temporal filtering. There are a number of variants of each of these, for example, motion compensated temporal filtering. A common objective of these is to reduce the picture complexity (i.e., make the pictures easier to encode) while minimizing the visible artifacts.
Despite these advances, today's video conferencing systems typically require a bandwidth in excess of 1 Mbps to deliver an acceptable level of HD video quality and have excessive latency and temporal video artifacts.
Further, various modern computer software applications facilitate video communication links between multiple participants. For example, Cisco Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., distributes Webex, a software application that includes functionality for one or two-way video conferencing. Such software also provides functionality for scheduling video conferences, where after a video conference is scheduled, parties are notified as to what they need to do to participate in the conference.
While providing video communication links between multiple participants, today's software applications are burdensome to schedule meetings with, the activation and deactivation of a participants video capturing device is tedious and manual, and there is no association between video quality and an importance of the participants.